Clothing and Image
Many different images and "subcultures" have formed from music and clothing that musicians wear. The earliest example I can think of is Elvis. His "untraditional" dancing earned him a spot in the eyes of many teenagers as a rebel and very cool. The truth is no matter what you wear as a musician if your music is not liked then no one will remember what you are wearing anyways just how much you sucked. Unfortanetly, in modern day music musicians image is becoming more and more important to him. Types Of Images ("Subcultures") Many people typically associate these subcultures with certian types of Rock genres which is why I am mentioning them. Even though fashion sometimes seems to make a band, a band is nothing without good music. * Emo - Emo short for emotional is basically a mix between punk and goth. Its fashion is one of the first to be heavily marketed by large companies due to its growing number. Emo's usually are all regarded for some of the same patterns of behavior which include: confusion, depression, loneliness, and anger. The image that follows the music is usually slower guitar with lots of power chords and clear emotional singing. * Punk - Punk, which has been repeatedly hated by police and parents alike, was founded on the princible of anti-oppression. Many genres of music still have very heavy punk origins in them. When describing punk fashion think of metal, chains, spikes, and denim. Punks are probably most noted for their use of Anarchy symbols. * Goth - Goths have been also repeatedly hated by authority figures for mainly being weird. Most goths have strong obsessions with death and other forms of vulgar killing. Which is probably why Death Rock and Death Wave music became so popular during the main rise of the Gothic Subculture. The usual fashion for goths include lots of make up(white and black), lots of black clothing, and often leather. Costume Bands Costume bands have always played a large role in music. If you combine descent music with odd costumes most of the time people learn your name well. A well known example of this is a band named Kiss. Kiss wore large amounts of makeup on stage and played music that was very good. Since the time of Kiss, many other bands have done outrageous things such as wearing monster costumes(Lordi, Gwar) to wearing odd masks and makeup(Marilyn Manson, Slipknot). A recognizable figure Many bands will sometimes use a character or symbol to identify themselves with. For example: *:Zepplin has the Zoso figures *:Iron Maiden has "Eddie" *:The Blue Oyster Cult has their "Hook and Cross" symbol, and have had a Grim Reaper and Godzilla figure in past concerts. *:King Crimson has their celtic pattern desighn, as well as the "Screaming Face" cover of their first album. *:Rush has the "Starman" logo. (The naked man hiding his face from a giant red star, a reference to their song 2112.) Bands will also have a personalized writing style for their band name, sometimes remaining consistent between albums.